Name of the Project
Dunnottar train manufacturing complex project.

Location
Gauteng, South Africa.

Client
Gibela Rail Transport Consortium, comprising Alstom (61%), Ubumbano Rail (30%) and New Africa Rail (9%).

Project Description
The project involves the construction of a 60 000 m² factory at the Dunnottar industrial complex to manufacture trains for South African State-owned Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). This forms part of a R51-billion contract to supply 600 state-of-the-art X’trapolis Mega commuter trains over ten years and provide technical support, as well as spare parts, over a 19-year period, for the rail agency.

The train manufacturing complex has a geographical footprint of 78 ha, comprising:

• the total built area of the factory of 51 ha, of which only 33 ha will be developed. The remaining land comprises an environmentally sensitive wetland, the preservation of which has necessitated the construction of a dam as part of the design and layout of the plant.
• 27 ha that have been reserved for the Ubumbano Rail Park, which will house suppliers of materials and components required for the new trains. The manufacturing contract has a minimum of 65% local-content stipulation.

The factory will produce 580 trains comprising 3 480 cars.

The plant will be equipped with several kilometres of rail network, including a 1.25 km dynamic test track for the testing of completed trains.

The first 20 trains were manufactured in Brazil, with the last of these arriving in South Africa in June 2017. The remaining 580 will be built at Dunnottar. At its peak, the manufacturing facility will produce 62 trains a year.

Potential Job Creation
About 1 500 workers have been employed during the facility’s construction, which started in January 2016.

The staff complement is 90% black and 49% female. At its peak, the facility will employ 1 200 workers.

To meet its local-content commitment of at least 65% of contract value, Gibela has so far on-boarded 71 South African suppliers for materials, parts and services. More than 4 700 South African jobs are being supported by the company’s activities.

Value
R1-billion.

Duration
The project took 22 months to complete.

Latest Developments
The first new Xtra’polis Mega commuter train to be built in South Africa is undergoing final testing and will be handed over to PRASA before year-end, Gibela has reported.

The train is being tested on a 1.2 km customised test track at Gibela’s manufacturing facility at Dunnottar and can reach a top speed of 120 km/h.

A second X’trapolis Mega commuter train is also nearing completion. Gibela has said that it will  deliver at least six trains scheduled to PRASA by the end of March next year.

Gibela launched its R1-billion, 78 ha train manufacturing facility in October. The plant contains more than R350-million worth of specialised equipment, including seven-axis welding robots, the first of their kind to be used in the rail industry globally.

At full production, the plant will produce two railway cars a day, one-and-a-half trains a week, 62 trains a year and a total 580 trains over the next ten years – reportedly the fastest train production rate in the world.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Aecom (engineering, procurement and construction management contractor); Trencon Construction (site clearance, bulk earthworks and civil infrastructure) and Trencon Construction and Black Jills Engineering (main site buildings, including the training centre) and Saflog Consulting Services (rail infrastructure).

On Budget and on Time?
Initial timelines have been negatively impacted on by various factors, including land and other permitting delays, which had a budgetary knock-on effect. Ameliorating the effect of these forms part of the ongoing project execution.

Contact Details for Project Information
Gibela communications director Pamella Radebe, email pamella.radebe@gibela-rail.com